As used herein the terminology "child car seat" refers to car seats for children of all ages, including infants and toddlers, and likewise includes car seats commonly referred to as hybrid booster seats or booster seats. The term "vehicle seat" is used to refer to the back or front seat of any vehicle type, including, but not limited to cars, vans, minivans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
A typical child car seat is secured to a vehicle such as an automobile with the vehicle seat belt. Under one standard procedure, the vehicle seat belt passes through two opposed openings in the side rails of the child car seat and behind the rear of the seating surface of the seat. In the usual construction of these seats, the two openings are not connected and offer no support or "path" for the vehicle seat belt as it passes from one opening to the other opening.
As an alternative, a child car seat having a recessed area in the back through which the vehicle seat belt passes is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,398. Apertures in the left and right sides of the recessed area allow the vehicle seat belt to be threaded through one opening, pass across the recessed area, and exit through the other opening. The recess is partially covered with a fixed molded panel, leaving a restricted opening at the bottom of the recessed belt path sufficient to allow the vehicle seat belt to be threaded from the front of the seat. The padded covering of the seat has a slit adjacent the opening of the bottom of the belt path so as to provide access to the belt path when the automobile seat belt is threaded therethrough.
In newer model vehicles, vehicle seats are being constructed to better facilitate connection of child car seats. For example, new standards are being promulgated which will require the back seats of vehicles to include anchor points for attaching child car seats. These anchor points are intended to provide more stable attachment of such seats. Accordingly, new child car seat constructions must be developed in order to best take advantage of such anchor points.